I love Desidiosus's comment for starters. I was born and raised in Anheuser Bush's hometown, St. Louis, Missouri. To us, there was no other beer but our own favorite brewer's brands. You couldn't walk into a restaurant, sporting event, concert or any other public location w/o seeing the Anheuser Bush name.

However, microbrews started appearing locally about 20 years ago and nationally even sooner. Grocery and liquor stores caught on and started stocking brands we never heard of...and liked! AB's response was barely noticeable and to this day, I don't know what they are thinking. They continue to advertise, and advertise some more while their "king of beers" quietly dies with the older generation who also refuse to try anything new.

I suppose it has to do with volume and the costs associated with creating beers that don't have the (current) mass appeal of Budweiser, but it's a real disappointment to this local.

Perhaps AB was never really a brewer like their competitors who seem to say that beer is good, but like wine can be improved upon for an even better experience.

InBev may not do much with AB other than market its bland alternative to good beer, but should the deal get done I hope that we can take pride in the beer again and not the company’s history which is what we’re left with now.

I am not a fan of Budweiser, it tastes like viel water and does not even have a decent alcoholic content. I am quite worried about how they justify the insane amounts they charge for such a poor brew.I much prefer the original Chezk Budweiser (Budvar) which is superior, good quality and doesnt leave a hangover like its chemical ridden American counterpart.

For the good of the environment WE MUST STOP this acquisition NOW! Once the Europeans have the secrete recipe, sales will take off and lactating weasels will be on the endangered species list.The acquisition is not at all surprising.About once or twice a year I get to conferences in the EU or the UK and invariably there is a big tub of Bud 'Tall ones' in a big bowl of ice. I believe Bud has been the best selling beer in the EU on a number of occasions.The Europeans posh-backlash that happens in Europe does not have a US equivalent. Budweiser is the common man's beer.

I am an American who considers himself fairly knowledgeable about beer. I enjoy and actually prefer drinking many imports and microbrews to that of Budweiser most of the time I can afford it. That being said, I believe Budweiser deserves a defense of its place in America. First, many people like me grew up with Budweiser and share the natural bias of liking the things we knew first and associate with our community. The only thing that appears to make Budweiser different from many other national particularities is its association with big industry, but think of how many national foodstuffs you use that are made by large conglomarates. Second, I think Budweiser's mild balanced taste and body have a particular charm especially well suited to the summer heat. Apparently, others agree. Third, Budweiser (American-style lager) is one of the most difficult beers to brew, yet AB consistently turns out a consistent beer that gets it to me without a loss of quality. Contrast this to the imports and microbrews that often lose most of their best qualities in transport and storage. Fourth, in America, Budweiser usually costs at least third and up to three quarters less than imports and microbrews. This is of real advantage to people without much money who want to enjoy a beer of a reasonable quality. I love having alternatives to Budweiser and would like to see more innovation out of AB. I don't necessarily expect the rest of the world to have the same experience with Budweiser as I and many other Americans have had, but hopefully they will not be as dismissive of the American affinity for this comforting beer.

The article fails to mention a secondary factor that may affect the U.S. public more than the sale of the brewery: the major theme parks owned and managed by AB like the SeaWorld (Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio) and Busch Gardens (Tampa Bay and Williamsburg) operations. Are these operations excluded from the proposed sale, or would a buyer acquire these as well?
The AB theme parks are some of the best-managed and family-friendly parks in America. If an aggressive cost-cutting conglomerate gets control of them, then the loss could be far worse than just that of our well-known brews.

The quest for large brewing sales has usually taken beers to a lower standard of quality and flavor in my experience.

I live in the NW US and I can only travel to a few states in this country because everywhere else the beer is so unfortunate. Stick to micros in NW region, NE region, and a few in Colorado...

If I wasn't so alarmed by the hops and wheat shortages have been publicized in this paper, that are driving the costs of my favorite local beers up by $1-2 per six pack recently, I'd wish the belgians well w/ their purchase. Maybe they're hoping to attract more american tourists to europe but I don't think its going to help that.

The only threat posed by this aquistition is the big player will get even more control via large long term contracts w/ growers of hops and that my local providers will not get their share to continue producing vastly superior product. I suspect this is a stronger motivation for the EU company to buy in the US-- they just want access to our hops since their local crops have failed recently.

I will continue to buy only local micros and simply buy barrels now instead of smaller units for home consumption.

The whole AB family of beers tastes kinda like wet, mildewy cardboard, which I personally find distasteful, so I'm not concerned about losing control of the "American Icon" to a foreign conglomerate. However I do share Concerned Reader's apprehension about some of AB's non-beverage operations that actually do produce a product worth consuming. Sea World and Busch Gardens are well run operations that I'd hate to see stripped of value and sold off. Cheer, Josh

I agree with the few others, in that its not about the beer's taste, but the control of business. Profits are nice but so is a job for many americans. And good family valued get aways. Sell out and lose moral value or stay and keep slow moving progress. Mergers have been treating many brewers quite well. Just a thought and agreement of veiw other readers.

As both a US citizen and a St. Louis native,I would be very upset to see this happen. Regardless of your opinion of the beers quality, AB is an important part of America. They are incredibly generous to their employees and the community. It is one thing to sell off an American business that is limping along (Ford, for example), but to sell off a company that has consistently outperformed every major US equity index for the 30 years would be a sad day in America.

Tom Debevoise: Since when did mixing spittle with fermented carboard water and letting sit in the sun for hours constitute as a "secret recipe"?

Jokes aside, with Diageo, SAB, and Cadbury Schweppes, I suppose this one will mark the end of the US beverage industry (much like its auto industry in many ways) with the exception of the smaller brewers that make the better tasting, stronger American beers anyway like Sierra Nevada, Fat Tire, and Anchor Steam here out west, Samuel Adams, and even, yes even, Pabst.

AB will just continue on like Miller has with SAB and maybe it'll get AB to get Bud to taste a lot better, or maybe its loss even will give the smaller, better tasing beeers and brewers a better chance in the marketplace and show the world that Americans can make good beer and Budweiser is not the only representive of it.

An innocent question by a European: does anybody actually like Budweiser? Anyone? So what's the secret? Is it that much cheaper than all other beers available in the US? Were Americans deceitfully led to believe that beer was actually supposed to taste like that? Is it a romantic link to a typical American childhood, like junk food and those weird sports you play other there?

About 25 years ago I was applying for the brew master program at AB...never got it but began to appreciate the science and art of beer. In 1986-1989 I began working with a chemist who had studied hops extensively. The two of us decided to taste and investigate all kinds of beers...Anchor Steam to Xinhu, Budweiser to Budvar, Celebrator to Becks to Brand to Tsing Tao... We all knew AB was a well run process and could produce consistent but bland beers,...until around 1986, Anheuser Marzen-marketed only in San Diego and St. Louis. It was a very smooth, filling-think Celebrator reduced by about 1/3, hoppy and malty beer around 5 ABV with outstanding taste. I fell in love with it and my brew master buddy was stunned at its quality and taste. We both decided that AB could not only market a bland product to millions, it could create a world class beer for...hundreds? maybe thousands (on a good day). This product was targeted at Heineken-children may read this comment so I can't elaborate on that beer's taste. AB Marzen, though superior in taste-to practically everything, was not meeting its marketing goals. I drank my first Marzen in April of 86, began hoarding in Sept 86 and said a tearful good bye to it in Aug 86. The dates may look a bit screwy but once the rumor of scarcity its economic complement of hoarding was applied. I believe AB was selling millions of barrels of Bud and maybe hundreds of Marzen...you readers are pretty bright...you do the math.There are great beers out there, Muhoa from Spain, anything from Eyinger in Germany, Stella Artois-excellent beer and I thank AB for marketing it. As for AB Marzen-I have never tasted its equal though a hint of it appears when its lower weight (sp grav.) cousin Micheloeb Marzen is sold in a gift pack during the holidays. AB-a superior brewer and a pragmatic business machine.Go Cards!